A to Z of the Sunday newspapers

Here's our quick round-up of the big stories from the business and financial pages of the national newspapers today.

The Sundays: We read them so you don't have to

Sunday Times

Barclays looks to AsiaBanking giant Barclays is close to raising £4bn in a placing with some of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds. The move is the latest in a series of capital raisings around the world by banks that have been hit hard by the credit crisis. Marcus Agius, the bank's chairman, and his chief executive John Varley are expected to come under pressure tomorrow to clarify the fundraising in a stock-exchange statement

G8 split on oil, food pricesFinance ministers from the G8, meeting in Japan, have warned that soaring food and energy prices mean the global economy faces significant 'headwinds'. However, ahead of a meeting between oil consuming and producing nations in Saudi Arabia next weekend, they were split on the cause of the surge in crude prices to nearly $140 a barrel earlier this month.

Energy costs hit PLCsBusinesses across the country are heading into annual negotiations with their power suppliers, facing the prospect of a 100% rise in their annual bills. About half of UK small and mid-sized firms strike annual energy contracts that expire in October, and are beginning to enter talks about new deals.

Trinity finance testTrustees of Trinity Mirror's pension funds have asked advisers to test the financial strength of the company in the wake of weak trading across the newspaper industry.

Sunday Telegraph

City move to save housebuilders A group of Britain's biggest institutional investors are working on secret plans to provide direct funding to shore up the beleaguered housebuilding sector. Bankers at UBS have drawn up possible plans for a wide-ranging placing by major shareholders in companies including Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments.

Advertising budgets hit Trouble on the high street and in the property market has begun to hit the entire media sector. In figures to be published before the end of June, Group M, the media buying group owned by marketing services giant WPP, has revised its quarterly forecasts downwards to show that £190m will be wiped off traditional media advertising budgets this year.

Enodis auction
The fate of Enodis, the FTSE 250 manufacturer of kitchen equipment, is to be settled through a late-night auction similar to the one which led to last year's £6.2bn takeover of Corus, the former British Steel.

Lloyds TSB eyes Deutsche PostbankLloyds TSB is considering launching a takeover bid for one of Germany's largest retail banks, underlining the British lender's relative immunity to the writedowns that have scarred the balance sheets of its international rivals.

The Observer

New homes slumpThe number of homes built in Britain this year will plunge to its lowest level since 1945 and plummeting construction activity is expected to lead to the loss of 100,000 jobs. The country's most senior housebuilders confirm that completions will be around 100,000, some 70,000 less than last year.

Anglo AmericanBrazilian mining giant Vale is eyeing a possible takeover of British rival Anglo American, led by Cynthia Carroll. Although Carroll is keen to retain the company's independence, Anglo-American's big shareholders are willing to accept an offer if it is pitched high enough, say City sources.

Rolling Stones-EMIThe Rolling Stones are on the verge of ending their 31-year relationship with EMI, dealing a blow to private equity owner Terra Firma, led by Guy Hands, which acquired the label in a £3.2bn deal last summer.

Darling speechAlistair Darling will offer a sombre assessment of an economy buffeted by rocketing commodity prices and the credit crunch when he delivers his first Mansion House speech on Wednesday.

Independent on Sunday

McCarthy & Stone crisisHoward Phillips, the chief executive of McCarthy & Stone, has called in bankers NM Rothschild to restructure its £800m debt as the credit crisis wreaks havoc in the housebuilding sector. Mr Phillips has hired Rothschild because of worries over its debt repayments.

Plus to take fight to LSE Simon Brickles, the chief executive of Plus Markets, the UK's stock exchange for small companies, will soon be able to compete head-on with the London Stock Exchange if he gets the go-ahead to offer trading in all 1,700 stocks listed on the Alternative Investment Market.

Lehman bid?Investors are bracing themselves for a bloody week on Wall Street, with three of America's biggest investment banks, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley, expected to unveil further writedowns totalling as much as $9bn (£4.6bn).

RBSLeading investors in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) have told Merrill Lynch, the group's adviser, that chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin has one year to save his job. However, rumours in Edinburgh suggest Sir Fred is fed up of recent criticisms and could leave within three months.